Security deposit

A security deposit (also called depozito or teminat in Turkish) is an amount or security instrument the lessor receives at the start of the lease to secure claims that may arise during the rental term (unpaid rent, damage compensation, tax and maintenance debts). Its legal basis in Turkish law is Turkish Code of Obligations art. 342.

For residential and roofed-workplace leases, three important constraints apply: (1) Cap: the deposit cannot exceed three months' rent. (2) Custody: it is deposited by the renter into a bank account and held in a bank account or as a fixed deposit of at least one year. (3) Refund: when the lease ends and no court or execution proceedings have been initiated, the bank refunds it to the renter immediately.

For non-residential rentals (heavy equipment, event equipment, vehicles), there is no statutory cap; market practice is typically one month's rent or 10–30% of the equipment's value. There is also no bank-custody requirement for these contracts.

The security deposit clause should specify: (a) the amount or valuation method, (b) the form of custody (bank account, check, promissory note, blocked card), (c) the claims it can be used against, (d) refund conditions and timing. Akitle templates include these four components by default.